Performer: Ferzan Önder

Imaginative Bach and an exciting new work by Dobrinka Tabakova played by the Amsterdam Sinfonietta with pianists Ferhan and Ferzan Önder.

Bringing his six-year ‘Mini journey’ to Budapest for a Bartok mini-cycle, Joolz Gale delivered a detailed vision of the First Piano Concerto and the Sonata for Two Pianos and Percussion. Yet, a blazing performance of Bartók’s concerto for orchestra stole the show.

Martin Grubinger may be regarded as one of the world’s most exciting percussion virtuosi, but for my money his greatest strengths are pianistic: the rich density of timbre he gets from his instruments (which are mainly the marimba and xylophone), the gift for turning an eloquent phrase, and the seamless legato that comes from sensitive touch and a finely-tuned ear for decay.